18 Ways to Stay Out of the Salon

Bumble and Bumble Concen-Straight Smoothing Treatment
Cursed with a thick, wavy (but not the pretty kind) head of hair, our managing editor is no stranger to professional keratin treatments. So we believe her when she says this magical little bottle works. The formaldehyde-free formula gave her salon-smooth locks in half the time, making it a quicker, cheaper, safer alternative.

Sachajuan Over Night Hair Repair
Bottled beauty sleep for your locks. A healthy squirt of the silicone-free gel with concentrated algae extract rubbed from tips to top then left to marinate overnight made our hair silky and strong. We rinsed it out in the morning due to overzealous application, but we suspect a few pumps could go unwashed.

Kevin.Murphy Color.Bug
Although its application was a little tricky (rubbing created static; crushing the powder resulted in uneven distribution), New York editor Jordan didn’t care. One streak quickly became a head flush with voluminous bubblegum hair and mischievous thoughts. A single wash reissues your natural state, but you may want to keep the racier hue.

Aveda Be Curly Style-Prep
One curly-haired editor has used the Be Curly suite of products since she embraced her tendrils (and gave up blowouts) three years ago. A nickel-size squirt in the palm of the hand yields four days of ringlets atop the head.

Alterna Stylist One Night Highlights
We used the Ravishing Red varietal on our resident (ravishing) redhead editor, Emily. The simple application (comb the foam through locks, let dry, then brush out) left her with maroon highlights. It looked fancy, but on this one, blondes might just have more fun.

L'Oreal Paris Root Rescue
Keep sprouting roots under cover between trips to the beauty parlor. The no-hassle, comblike applicator distributes conditioning color gel just where you need it, and after about ten minutes, you can rinse easy knowing half your paycheck is still in the bank.

Rita Hazan Foaming Color Gloss
Bottle blonde/production coordinator Jillian and her naturally blond roommate lathered the foam into their locks between their shampoo/conditioner routines. The result? Both noticed a nice sheen to their respective shades of gold with an unexpected side effect of volume.

Hairdo by HairUWear Clip-In Bangs
Bangs are a major commitment. So several editors opted for the clip-in version for a day before deciding to permanently snip. We won’t lie: You really have to fidget with the forehead toupee to get it to look natural, and if the hair color doesn’t match exactly, forget it. It is, however, the best way to answer the age-old question, “Should I get bangs?”

John Frieda Frizz-Ease 3-Day Straight Styling Spray
Consider it a time-saver for your morning routine. Sales manager Trish usually blow-drys or straightens her hair three times a week, but an application of John Frieda’s spray reduces frizz, meaning a few more minutes of sleep.

Color Oops Hair Color Remover
We applaud at-home hair-color experimenters — everyone is not as brave as you. When things don’t go according to plan, we suggest you have Color Oops wipes in reach to gently clean up your mess.

Nexxus Pro-Mend Split End Binding Overnight Treatment Creme
Copy editor DeAnna books haircut appointments just twice a year. But after one application, she feels she can skip a trim: Her dead ends feel smooth, look silky, and smell good. Plus, there’s no trace of the product left on her pillow.

SarahPotempa The Wrap-Up
Can’t quite master the sock bun? A sleek chignon in 30 seconds or less is still within reach. Just slide, roll, and bend the jumbo pipe cleaner (no spray or stylist required) for a full bun that sits at the nape of your neck.

Streekers Temporary Hair Color
When one brunette editor wanted to channel a streak of Katy Perry for a night, she used the lip stain-like formula, which showed up just enough then rinsed out before she could say “Teenage Dream.”

Oscar Blandi Pronto Colore Root Touch-Up & Highlighting Pen
We’ll cop to getting lax with our highlight appointments. The touch-up pen camouflages dark roots, blending them in with highlights nearly instantaneously, giving us an extra week or so to procrastinate that next trip to the salon.

KeratinPerfect Perfect Treatment Smoothing Duo
Deals editor Lindsay jokes that she can’t step foot in the state of Florida due to instant frizz. A trip could be in her future after using the the 30-day Brazilian smoothing system. The shampoo and pretreatment process makes blowouts easier and hair shiny and voluminous.

Who needs the salon when you've got these salon-skipping, money saving products to use in the comfort of your own home? Now, more than ever, it is getting easier and easier to recreate the salon look without the salon price! Check out our 18 favorite beauty products that will help you stay out of the salon!